


Another witness

by FiKate



Category: Captain America (Movies), Nero Wolfe - Rex Stout
Genre: 1930s, Brooklyn, Friendship, Gen, POV Outsider, Pre-Captain America: The First Avenger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-05-26
Packaged: 2018-01-26 14:20:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1691375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiKate/pseuds/FiKate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Archie Goodwin's investigating a case and has to haul out to Brooklyn to get an art student named Steve Rogers for Nero Wolfe to interview. A brief glimpse into Steve and Bucky's lives before the War and Archie in the midst of an annoying case. Thank you to Ashie for betaing.</p><p>  <i>The next witness was out in Brooklyn and I wasn’t bringing the sedan out that way, I’d take a cab and the client could eat it. It took the cabbie a bit to find the address, but I did and went looking for number 5C and the Barnes’ residence where Steven Rogers was living.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Another witness

Now this Elsinore job was getting on my nerves, all the witnesses were scattered around the city. I’d spent the morning and afternoon driving downtown then uptown before deciding after lunch that the car was getting a rest. The next witness was out in Brooklyn and I wasn’t bringing the sedan out that way, I’d take a cab and the client could eat it. It took the cabbie a bit to find the address, but I did and went looking for number 5C and the Barnes’ residence where Steven Rogers was living.

I adjusted my hat as I smiled at the girl who opened the door, she’d grow up to be a real sweetheart but for now, she was one more person in my way. As I handed her my card with a sweet smile I said, “I’m looking for a Steven Rogers. He was attending an open art class at the Metropolitan when Janet Elsinore disappeared and I’d like to talk to him about what he might have seen. My name’s Archie Goodwin.” 

She gave me a long stare and I stood there looking nice and safe, though knowing this neighborhood, she probably knew more criminals than I did. “I’ll see.”

Then she left me in the hall, I must be losing my touch, most girls would have let me in to wait with my looks and charm, so I leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette. The way this case was going, maybe I needed to change my aftershave, the artist dames in the morning hadn’t even offered me coffee. 

About ten minutes later, this real shrimp of a guy comes out of the door with his own private shadow, guy about my height but bulkier. They both give me a look over then the shrimp says, “I’m Steve Rogers and I didn’t see anything, Mr. Goodwin. I’m real sorry that something happened, Miss Elsinore was a fine artist but I was getting a cup of joe when it happened.” 

Now I’ve met a lot of little guys in my time and this Rogers had the most honest and annoyed gaze I’ve ever seen. He wanted me out of his life and he might not be lying but he also was the sort that might have seen something he didn’t know. Wolfe would want to talk to him. 

“I’m real sorry to hear that as it seems no one saw anything, which considering she was around artists sounds mighty odd to me. Now my employer, Nero Wolfe, he’s trying to find out whatever he can and he’d like to talk to you.” 

The name Nero Wolfe worked wonders as it normally does. Rogers and his shadow shared a glance then Rogers said, “What’s in it for me if I go talk to him?” 

I looked at my watch as I took a drag and considered them. Wolfe thought this case was interesting, a debutante and rising artist who went missing near the Metropolitan, a class full of artists who didn’t see anything. This Rogers seemed the sort who would want, the little ones always do, and his shadow had too much hair oil plus sharp eyes as he leaned in skeptically to listen as I said, “You’d get a personal look inside Nero Wolfe’s office and depending how long you talked, possibly a dinner cooked by Fritz. He picked up some beautiful lamb this morning.” 

I could almost see the drool as I took another drag of my cigarette and Rogers said, “Alright, I’ll come, but I told you. I didn’t see nothing.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but if you saw even a hint of something, Wolfe will find it out. Your shadow coming too?” 

The shadow gave me my own private glare, it had quality to it, these two might amuse Wolfe, I liked their gumption. “Yes, he is. This is Bucky and he was there looking at the statues.” 

As Rogers spoke, Bucky nodded. ‘Yeah, I was there.” 

“Then come on, boys, let’s go uptown.” I gave them a wave, another smile for the girl at the door before putting them in the cab as we headed to the townhouse. 

Fritz let us in and raised his eyebrows at me as he muttered, “Oh Archie, he doesn’t like this case.”

“He doesn’t like any case, Fritz. Go back to the kitchen, I’ll manage him.” I smiled at Rogers and Bucky as Fritz tutted and went down the hall, “Now you fellows just wait in the front room.” 

When they walked in, I’m pretty sure that the two of them were calculating the cost of everything though Rogers did give one of the paintings a good look over. Wolfe would appreciate that he was an art student who knew his history. I let them into the front room and knocked on the office door before coming in. Wolfe was giving the paper a glare when he spotted me. 

“I’ve brought you two fishes from Brooklyn, they might have even seen something,” I said.

“Oh bring them in and let’s go wandering down another dead end,” he grumbled from his chair as he resettled himself.

I gave him a nod and brought them in and settled down with my notebook, Rogers got the yellow chair with Bucky in the red. It was a pleasant conversation as these sorts tend to go, they were observant and Rogers knew about art. Though sadly they hadn’t actually seen anything that would help, but at least they were willing to talk. When it came to dinner time, they stayed and I learned that the girl who’d greeted me was Bucky, Barnes I should probably call him, his kid sister. Rogers was staying over at the Barnes’ place because his mother had died recently and he was doing work as an illustrator and cartoonist. I liked them. Barnes would have made a good PI if he’d wanted to, he had the edge needed to get what needed doing done while Rogers, Rogers would do something. He had that kind of determination that would either get him into an early grave or winning medals. After dinner, I let them out, giving them each a ten for helping with our inquiries, our client could handle it. In the office, Wolfe poured out his beer and flipped through his book as I went over my notes from the past two days. We needed to find another string to pull to make sense of this case, because the students weren’t going to give us anything.


End file.
